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CBP seizes $50k in hazardous holiday lights, toys

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Port of San Juan, Puerto Rico found two shipments from China containing more than 1,400 hazardous toys and 3,500 unsafe Christmas light fixtures.

   Everyone knows keeping the holidays merry and bright can get expensive, but consumers must still be wary of cheaper toys and lights from places like China that have less stringent safety controls.
   Case in point: U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Port of San Juan in Puerto Rico recently seized two shipments from China containing more than 1,400 hazardous toys and 3,500 unsafe Christmas light fixtures. The combined value of the shipments was nearly $50,000, according to CBP.
   Following a joint physical inspection carried out with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), a CPSC laboratory analysis determined that the toys “contained lead in excess of the limit which may be harmful to the health and safety of children” and the lights “did not undergo a valid evaluation for potential risk of fire, shock, and personal injury,” CBP said in a statement.